The Boston Red Sox have been without marquee offseason acquisition and star third baseman Alex Bregman for over a month now as he continues to work his way back from an injury to his right quad.
Manager Alex Cora spoke to reporters Wednesday and provided an update on when the team is expecting to see Bregman back in the lineup. Cora told reporters that "it looks like" Bregman will be out through the All-Star break, meaning the earliest he could return is July 18, per Tim Healey of .
Bregman was off to a hot start in his first season with the Red Sox. The 31-year-old had a .938 OPS with 11 home runs and 35 RBIs in 51 games before landing on the IL.
He's missed the last 30 games while on the shelf, and with 17 games to go until the All-Star break, it's possible he could end up missing upwards of 50 games by the time he's ready to return. Cora did not indicate if Bregman would be ready to go immediately after the break, but the team will be on the road against the Chicago Cubs in its return to action on July 18.
The Red Sox are 40-41 on the season, sitting in fourth place in the American League East.
Left out of the senior India and the India A squads, Karun Nair served another reminder to the selectors and team management, converting his second successive fifty-plus score for Karnataka into a double-century, against Kerala in Mangalapuram. This was Nair’s fifth double-hundred in first-class cricket and third since 2024.After dropping him for the home Test series against West Indies in favour of Devdutt Padikkal, Nair’s state junior, chief selector Ajit Agarkar said that they ‘expected a little bit more’ than his 205 runs in eight innings at an average of 25.62 in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.Nair went back to the Ranji Trophy and scored an unbeaten 174 against Goa in Shimoga in the second round. After that knock Nair felt that he “deserves” to be part of India’s Test team.”Obviously, it is quite disappointing, but I know that I deserve to be there after the last two years I have had,” Nair told reporters during the last round. “People might have their own opinions, but for me personally, I can have my own. My own opinion is that I deserve a lot better.”He eventually ran out of partners in Shimoga but found ample support from 22-year-old R Smaran, who scored a double-century of his own. The pair added 343 for the fourth wicket, stopping 12 short of Karnataka’s first-class record. Manish Pandey and Dega Nischal had piled on 354 for the fourth wicket against Uttar Pradesh in Kanpur in 2017-18.It was seamer NP Basil who ended the stand when he dismissed Nair for 233 off 389 balls, including 25 fours and two sixes. Smaran then proceeded to make a career-best 220 not out. Karnataka will hope that the twin double-centuries will translate into their first outright win this season.Shikhar Mohan: A new star for Jharkhand?•PTI
Another double-centurion: Shikhar Mohan
Jharkhand’s rookie opener Shikhar Mohan also hit a double-century, setting up his team’s push for an innings win against Nagaland in Ranchi. After Jharkhand had lost two early wickets on the first day, Mohan combined with stand-in captain Virat Singh, who was leading the side in the absence of Ishan Kishan, who had linked up with the India A team in Bengaluru as cover for the injured N Jagadeesan. They accumulated 253 for the second wicket before Virat was trapped lbw by left-arm spinner Imliwati Lemtur.Mohan and Kumar Kushagra (58) then carried Jharkhand past 400. Robin Minz also helped himself to a half-century before Jharkhand declared on 510 for 8. Mohan finished with 207 off 303 balls, with 21 fours and three sixes in his third first-class innings. A prolific run-getter in age-group cricket for Jharkhand, Mohan, now 20, is making a smooth step up to the Ranji Trophy.Elsewhere in Raipur, Jammu and Kashmir opener Shubham Khajuria came close to a double-hundred, but left-arm spinner Aditya Sarwate denied him and dismissed him for 190 off 344 balls. His knock countered Chhattisgarh professional Ravi Kiran’s 7 for 82.Nachiket Bhute’s five-for wrecked TN•PTI
Vidarbha flex their depth
No Danish Malewar. No Atharva Taide. No Harsh Dubey. No Yash Thakur. No problem for defending champions Vidarbha.Despite being hit by injuries and unavailability of their strike bowlers Thakur and Dubey, who are on India A duty, Vidarbha had enough depth to dominate Tamil Nadu in Coimbatore. Tamil Nadu were also without Gurjapneet Singh, Jagadeesan and India Under-19 allrounder RS Ambrish, but it was Vidarbha who coped better.Fast bowler Nachiket Bhute, who was playing his 14th first-class game, stepped into Thakur’s shoes and triggered a TN collapse. From an overnight 252 for 4, TN were bowled out for 291. Bhute threatened both edges, especially the inside edge of both right-handers and lefties with his inducker. Both M Shahrukh Khan and B Indrajith were done in by sharp induckers. Bhute gifted himself a five-wicket haul a day after his 26th birthday.Aman Mokhade then kickstarted Vidarbha’s reply with fluent strokes against both pace and spin. When TN captain R Sai Kishore pushed one marginally outside off, Mokhade stretched forward and swept him flat and hard into the square-leg boundary. When offspinner S Mohamed Ali darted one into the stumps from around the wicket, Mokhade dared to back away and pump him through the covers. But just when he was looking set to reel off this third successive century, Sai Kishore had him caught by Vimal Khumar for 80. Vidarbha’s professionals Dhruv Shorey and R Samarth then helped them cut their deficit to 80 by stumps on day two.
Pep Guardiola says his Manchester City side "have to score more goals" after a frustrating 2-1 loss to Newcastle United on Saturday. Although City are the Premier League's top scorers, Guardiola's players were wasteful in front of goal at St James' Park. Now, the former Barcelona boss wants his players to be more clinical in the final third of the pitch.
Man City rue missed opportunities
City had 68 per cent possession and 17 shots to Newcastle's nine but only had four efforts on target. They created an Expected Goals (xG) tally of 1.88 but other than Ruben Dias' deflected effort, they couldn't get on the scoresheet again. At the other end, a double from Harvey Barnes ensured the Magpies claimed all three points. In the contest, top scorer Erling Haaland and Phil Foden missed gilt-edged chances but as a team, Guardiola wanted more from his players.
He told BBC Radio 5 Live: "Tight game. Entertaining game. They had chances. We had chances. In the end they scored one more goal.
"Two or three chances that he [Haaland] always have because he is the best. And yeah, go to the next. Two or three chances that he always have because he is the best. And yeah, go to the next.
"The second half we started rally well and had the momentum, we were arriving and finding players in the positions. But after we scored a goal, they scored a goal. After it was more difficult because [Sven] Botman was in the pitch, the defence was deep, so yes more difficult."
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Guardiola wants Man City to share around the goals
Haaland has scored a whopping 14 goals in the Premier League this season, with City netting 24 in total. But none of his team-mates have notched more than a goal each, leading many to conclude that City rely too much on the Norwegian international. Now, Guardiola has urged his team to take their chances more often.
"Yes [the chances] were clear, but we have to score more goals. Our players have the ability and quality to do it," he said.
City still have the sixth-best away record in the division but this is the third time they have lost on the road in the English top-flight this term.
When asked about another away loss, Guardiola said: "I'm pretty sure all of the teams prefer to play at home than away, we are not the exception for that. Always Newcastle have been difficult, even where they are low in the table and after two defeats in a row. After they clean the head and the mind and have ten days off, we can hit the good moments. We fought, the players were there, but we could not find the result. The season is so long."
Man City can't always rely on Haaland
Former City defender Micah Richards believes that Haaland's team-mates need to pull their finger out and contribute more goals going forward. He name-checked Foden and Jeremy Doku but every player needs to pull their weight in a Premier League title bid.
He said on Sky Sports: "It's going to chop and change all season. I think Man City though, if you look at the goal scorers, Haaland's scoring all the goals. There's not a player scoring more than one in a game, and that would be a concern because they're too reliant on Haaland. And defensively, I think organisation, if you look, go through the games. Wolves, everyone thought Man City was back. Back to their best. Then they lose against Spurs and Brighton. Good win against United. Arsenal could have gone either way. Burnley, Brentford, Everton. Games you're supposed to win. You go away to Aston Villa and you lose the game. Bournemouth. And then Liverpool was like, okay, Man City are back. When you asked me before the show started, are Man City back? They are in spells, not for the full 90 minutes. They're playing different football. They've not got the energy. They're not pressing the same, but they're still getting over the line. And that big game against Liverpool, you think, okay, that's the turning call. And then today, they had chances. Haaland misses chances. Who else is going to step up? Foden's been in good form. Doku's been playing really well as well. But when you need them to step up in a big moment, today was a big moment to put pressure on Arsenal. They just couldn't do it. Now, it gives Arsenal all the confidence going into the north London derby tomorrow. "
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Pressure now on Arsenal?
Former Liverpool player Jamie Redknapp believes that if Arsenal don't win the league this season, this group of players under Mikel Arteta will never end their long wait for that piece of silverware. Moreover, the Gunners could go seven points clear of third-placed City and six ahead of second-placed Chelsea if they beat Tottenham in the north London derby on Sunday.
He said: "Arsenal are by far the best team. They've got the best squad, [are the] best organised. And they've been the best over the last four or five years. What Manchester City have done previously, where they go on 12, 13, 14 game winning runs, is this team capable of doing it? I don't think so. They're probably ahead of where I thought they would be this year because of the changes they've had. Obviously, people like Kevin De Bruyne have left the club. So they're in a really strong position. But I think this year, if Arsenal don't win it from here, that team won't win it. They won't. It's as simple as that. They're in such a strong position."
England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt has displaced India opener Smriti Mandhana to become the No. 1-ranked ODI batter in the world.She was the highest run-scorer with 160 runs at 53.33 average in the recently concluded three-match ODI series against India.While Mandhana slips one position to second in the latest ODI rankings, there is a notable jump for India captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who is up ten spots to 11th on the batting charts after making a total of 126 runs in the series. Jemimah Rodrigues also rose two spots to 13th on the list.Harmanpreet didn’t start the ODI series well, but finished with 102 in the last match, which helped India seal the series 2-1. She also became the third India women’s batter to breach the 4000-run mark during the course of her seventh century.Rodrigues managed 101 runs in three games, with a highest score of 50 in the final game and 48 in the first.
Full rankings tables
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South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt is third in the rankings, while Australia allrounder Ellyse Perry and Australia captain Alysa Healy round out the top five of the list in ODIs.There was also some movement for the Ireland players following their 2-0 ODI series win over Zimbabwe. Allrounder Orla Prendergast rose 12 spots to move to joint-22nd on the ODI batters list after an unbeaten 67 in the second ODI. She also rose ten places on the bowlers’ list and moved to tenth position on the allrounders list.England spinner Sophie Ecclestone continues to lead the ODI bowling list after finishing as the second-highest wicket-taker in the ODI series against India with five wickets. Ashleigh Gardner, Meghan Schutt, Deepti Sharma and Kim Garth round out the top five of the bowlers list.
Whether buying them or producing them in the academy, West Ham United have a proud history of developing some of the best talent around.
The best example of this in recent years is undoubtedly Declan Rice, as while joining a fellow London club is never ideal, he did so after captaining the side to European glory.
However, not every promising prospect goes on to fulfil their potential, as before the Englishman, the most talked about youngster at the club was probably Reece Oxford.
So, Nuno Espírito Santo will be hoping that West Ham’s latest exciting talent follows in the footsteps of Rice and not Oxford.
Where is Reece Oxford today?
Ironically, Oxford’s most memorable game as a West Ham player was his full Premier League debut, away to Arsenal in the club’s opening game of the 2015/16 season.
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The young Englishman, who was just 16 years old at the time, started in the middle of the park and was given what seemed to be the impossible task of stopping a Gunners’ team that included the likes of Mesut Özil, Santi Cazorla and an in-form Aaron Ramsey.
Yet, instead of being made to look foolish, he helped the Hammers to a famous 2-0 victory, and was described as having “everything” by then manager Slaven Bilic at full-time.
Reece-Oxford-and-Slaven-Bilic
However, even after putting in such an incredible showing and being looked at as the club’s “main talent” at the time, per an interview with former West Ham trainee Lewis Page, the teenager would only go on to make another 11 first-team appearances that season, and then go on loan to Reading midway through the following campaign.
Unfortunately, injuries kept him to just five appearances for the Royals, and after two more underwhelming loan spells in Germany, he was finally sold to Bundesliga side Augsburg in the summer of 2019.
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Initially, things started to look up for the youngster: while he wasn’t playing every week, he was getting more action than before. But it wouldn’t last, as injuries reared their ugly heads once again.
Then a severe case of long COVID kept him out of first-team action from November 2022 until he left the club this summer.
Unfortunately, Oxford remains without a club today, but at 26, there is still a chance he can find his way back into the game. So, with all that said, West Ham will be hoping their latest talent can follow more in Rice’s footsteps.
West Ham's biggest talent since Rice and Oxford
The good news for West Ham fans is that there are several exciting U21 players in the current squad, like Callum Marshall and Oliver Scarles, but the most promising has to be Luis Guilherme.
The 19-year-old joined the Hammers from Brazilian outfit Palmeiras last summer for a fee of around £25.5m, and while that is a lot for such a young player, it might prove to be a bargain in the future.
For example, one of his best traits is that while he is primarily looked at as a right-winger, he’s more than capable of playing all over the pitch, from attacking midfield to left-wing and even up top or as a second-striker.
Moreover, even though the goal involvements have not exactly flowed freely so far, those in the know are incredibly excited about his attacking potential.
According to respected analyst Ben Mattinson, while the Brazilian gem doesn’t take enough shots, when he does, they are of a “high calibre.”
Furthermore, the more Nuno uses him and the more comfortable he becomes in the English game, the more exciting the Hammers could become.
This is because, according to Mattinson, the “electric” winger is a player who “thrives on transitions” and can “turn past players with ease” thanks to his “elite ball manipulation,” which sounds like a player fans would want to watch.
Finally, while he might not hit the levels of a Dimitri Payet, he could bring some of the trickery and mazy runs the Frenchman was famous for back to the London Stadium.
At least that is what it sounds like when Mattinson describes him as an “entertainer” who is capable of producing “match-winning moments,” be that through a “30-yard screamer” or by “taking on players.”
Ultimately, fans have not quite been able to see it over the last year, but there is a very good chance that Guilherme is West Ham’s most exciting prospect since Rice and Oxford, but only time will tell which player he emulates.
Nuno can banish Soucek from West Ham by unleashing "powerful" Irons star
The West Ham gem could help Nuno Espirito Santo pick up his first win in the Premier League.
A Champions League-winning striker is “one to watch” for Rangers, as Danny Rohl plans for an exciting January transfer window at Ibrox.
Rohl fumes after woeful Rangers defeat
The Rohl era got off to a disappointing start on Thursday evening, with the Gers losing 3-0 away to Brann in the Europa League, as their appalling start to the season continues.
Speaking after the game, Rangers’ new manager was not amused with what he saw from his players, assessing the defeat and apologising to the fans.
“(At the end) I first apologised (to the fans) for this defeat and the performance. They’ve travelled a lot for the team and they’re always there. This club has a lot of passionate fans and they deserve this. It was very important for me to show that I understand them. I said as well to them I’m working very hard to improve this group of players and get results.
“It was a great welcome before the game. Then you hope you can give them straight away the three points and a good feeling. So this makes me sad that I couldn’t. That was the reason why I walked to them to give them the big respect that they deserve. This is my job. We have to understand our fans are very patient and you cannot expect that they are always happy with us when we have such a performance.”
Thursday’s loss was further proof that lots of added quality is required for Rangers, whether that be in January or next summer, and a high-profile name has been linked with a move to Ibrox, amid reports Andrew Cavenagh is set to back Rohl in January.
Rangers backed to sign Champions League winner
Speaking on Hotline Live [via Ibrox News], Daily Record journalist Daniel Caw talked up the idea of Rangers signing RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner, due in part to his connection with new first team performance manager Sascha Lense.
Timo Werner for Tottenham
Werner would be an eye-catching addition for Rangers, with the Leipzig ace winning the Champions League with Chelsea back in 2021, as well as scoring 24 goals in 57 for Germany.
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Now 29, his very best days may be behind him, but that’s not to say he couldn’t be a potent weapon, with even the hard-to-please Roy Keane praising him in the past.
“He’s a nuisance to play against, isn’t he, Werner. There’s question marks about his end product and whatever, his final pass. But he does affect games, he is a threat.”
Fewer touches than Butland: Rohl must drop Rangers flop who won 0 duels
Danny Rohl must drop this Rangers flop who had fewer touches than Jack Butland.
ByDan Emery Oct 24, 2025
The Lense factor will hopefully come in handy for Rangers, and if they snapped up Werner in January, it would give Rohl an enormous boost midway through the season. Whether he wants to depart a top club in Leipzig is up for debate, though.
Three wickets each for Asitha Fernando, Timm van der Gugten secure their first win of the season and biggest over Kent
ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay11-May-2025Glamorgan thrashed Kent by an innings and 161 runs at Canterbury to pick up their first win of the season in the Rothesay County Championship.Asitha Fernando took 3 for 18 and Timm van der Gugten 3 for 33 as the Welsh side dismissed Kent for 176 in their second innings, having enforced the follow on after rolling them over for 212 first time out.Chris Benjamin’s first innings score of 94 not out was the only positive for the hosts in a game the visitors dominated throughout, winning with a day and 29 overs to spare.Home expectations were hardly high when Kent resumed on their overnight score of 156 for 8 overnight, with Benjamin unbeaten on 68, but for the first hour at least they showed some doggedness.George Garrett was on 11 when he edged Fernando to second slip but Kiran Carlson couldn’t take a head-high catch and Garrett made a sensible-looking 35 before he finally edged Zain ul-Hassan and was caught behind.That left Benjamin’s hopes of a maiden Kent century relying on Kashif Ali and although he trusted his partner enough to rotate the strike, Kashif managed just three before he was bowled by ul-Hassan.Glamorgan unsurprisingly enforced the follow on, but Harry Finch and Ben Compton looked comfortable enough till lunch, at which point it was 19 for 0.Any thoughts that Kent might drag things into a fourth day, however, disintegrated during the afternoon session. Fernando got Ben Compton lbw for 19 and Daniel Bell-Drummond fell to Gorvin for 5 after a breathtaking one-handed grab by Kiran Carlson.Finch nicked Fernando behind for 28 and the Sri Lankan then had Leaning caught behind for a four-ball duck.Although 18-year-old debutant Ekansh Singh avoided a pair, he fell for 8, caught behind off van der Gugten, and the Dutch international then bowled Benjamin for 7 and got Grant Stewart lbw for 16, from nine balls.Tawanda Muyeye was lbw to James Harris for 41 and by this stage the only jeopardy was whether or not Glamorgan would manage to retrieve the over rate.This explained why the celebrations were so muted when Matt Parkinson was caught and bowled by Ben Kellaway for 4: a number of fans didn’t realise he was out until he walked off.Kashif went down swinging, heaving Kiran Carlson for six over the Colin Cowdrey Stand and then pulling another one into a floodlight pylon. He hit a third six over cow corner but Glamorgan’s biggest ever victory over Kent was secured when he pulled Kellaway to Govin and was caught on the midwicket boundary.
Rafael Leao’s inconsistent return for AC Milan has sparked tensions behind the scenes, including a fiery exchange with coach Massimiliano Allegri. The Portuguese winger was reportedly scolded in front of his team-mates following missed chances against Juventus, with his starting role now under threat as Milan’s boss demands greater intensity and maturity.
Allegri’s outburst leaves Leao on thin ice
The relationship between Portugal international Leao and boss Allegri has become a defining subplot of Milan’s season. Following the goalless draw with Juve in Turin, Allegri reportedly confronted Leao in the dressing room, criticising his performance and effort levels. Cameras had earlier captured a heated exchange on the touchline, where Allegri shouted “Don’t p*ss me off!" as Leao prepared to come on. The forward then missed two glaring opportunities late in the match, drawing visible fury from his coach, who was seen kicking the air and shouting in frustration. According to , Allegri later told Leao in front of team-mates that the “attitude seen in Turin” was unacceptable if he hoped to remain a starter.
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‘Don’t p*ss me off’ moment and aftermath
The exchange reportedly unfolded in front of part of the squad, a deliberate move to reinforce standards within the group. Witnesses described Allegri’s tone as sharp but controlled, urging Leao to show the work ethic expected of Milan’s No.10. The outburst followed a sequence of missed chances, including a sitter from close range and another squandered assist from veteran Luka Modric, that epitomised Leao’s inconsistency. While some within the club empathise, given his recent return from an injury, others believe the 26-year-old must take greater responsibility in decisive moments.
The Italian media have placed Leao under the microscope, as his inconsistent performances have reignited questions about his long-term role at the club. After a blistering 2021-22 campaign, Leao’s numbers have stagnated, with his goal tally in the past two seasons mirroring his early years at San Siro.
Gimenez & Nkunku threaten his spot
The internal competition is fierce at Milan as Allegri now has multiple attacking options in Santiago Gimenez and Christopher Nkunku, both of whom offer tactical flexibility and a higher defensive work rate. Gimenez, known for his pressing intensity, has steadily improved, while Nkunku’s movement and finishing provide a different dimension. Allegri’s demand for collective effort means Leao’s flair alone is no longer enough. The forward’s lack of focus and defensive contribution has frustrated several coaches before Allegri, including Paulo Fonseca and Sergio Conceicao, both of whom benched him for similar reasons. Now, the pressure is mounting for Leao to evolve or risk losing prominence altogether.
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Defining months ahead
Leao’s future could hinge on how he responds after the international break. The winger is currently back in Lisbon with Portugal, a welcome chance to reset mentally and physically. Milan’s next fixtures, including clashes against Florentina and Atalanta, will test both his form and Allegri’s patience. The club still views Leao as a long-term asset, but another inconsistent season could push the management to re-consider. With Christian Pulisic thriving, Gimenez rising, and Nkunku waiting for his chance, the coming weeks could define whether Leao remains Milan’s centrepiece or becomes another unfulfilled talent.
The home advantage debate: “You just have to play smarter and score one run more from the opponent,” Samson says
Shashank Kishore04-Apr-20251:23
Does Jaiswal have a two-over problem?
Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Sanju Samson isn’t worried about Yashasvi Jaiswal’s current form – he has 1, 29 and 4 in IPL 2025 so far – and is confident the opener will soon return to his dominant best.”He has been working really hard,” Samson said ahead of RR’s match against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Mullanpur. “I think he has been attending all the practice sessions. He does tick each and every box, which he has been ticking from last six years.”Jaiswal’s ten dismissals in the powerplay are the joint-fourth-highest in the IPL since 2024. Against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), he was caught superbly at point by Abhinav Manohar. Then against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), he was dismissed looking to hit Moeen Ali out of the ground, while against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), he chipped one to mid-off.Related
Samson to return as RR captain after being cleared to keep wicket
High-flying Punjab Kings hope to set home record straight
“You can see he is batting the most hours in the nets,” Samson said. “We’ve had to wait for many hours for him to get out from the nets. So, he is doing everything possible from his side to score those runs, to win those matches. As we all know, IPL is a very challenging format. As an opener, his game is also attacking. He wants to give us a positive start. He is looking for those boundaries. He is looking for those sixes. In that process, you tend to lose the wickets also.”I think I would like to see him perform and come up the ranks at the right moment when the team requires him the most. I think I am happy that he is yet to perform. But I know when he performs, he will be winning the games for us as a team. So, he is doing everything fine.”RR currently have one win in three games. Saturday’s outing will be Samson’s first as captain following a full recovery from a finger injury that limited his participation in the first two weeks of the season as an Impact Player.When asked about the experience of sitting out and seeing someone else – Riyan Parag – captain while only playing as a batter, Samson admitted he had to “hold myself back”.Sanju Samson wants Yashasvi Jaiswal to find his form when the team needs it the most•BCCI
“Missing out in three games, I was just holding myself back and seeing the games from a different perspective,” he said. “So, it was a different experience for me to sit at the dugout and see my friends, my young brothers, playing out there, fighting out there.”To be honest, I am very happy and excited to be back and to be fully fit, to keep wickets, to play as a normal player. I think I have been really looking forward to it and it feels very exciting.”‘No complaints’ – Samson on home-advantage debateOver the past week, a number of players and coaches have touched upon the lack of home advantage this season.Ajinkya Rahane, the KKR captain, spoke of wanting more turn from the pitches at Eden Gardens, while CSK coach Stephen Fleming has been vocal about not getting any advantage for a few years now. On Thursday, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) coach Andy Flower said it wasn’t a “typical Chinnaswamy surface” after they lost to Gujarat Titans (GT).It’s with this background that Samson was asked about the importance of home advantage. RR have played two of their three “home” games in Guwahati, and are yet to play in Jaipur, their designated home venue.”Definitely the home games play a huge role in the conditions we all know, which can be favourable if the toss goes your way,” he said. “The morale and the energy of the stadium will definitely help the home team.”So, yeah, I think Punjab [Kings] is coming back to their home after a long time and they will be also having all their fans supporting them. We really enjoy that challenge and are looking forward to it.”When asked specifically about the comments made by Rahane and others, Samson chose to steer clear of the debate.”To be very honest, before the IPL, like one month of IPL, I have cut out all my social media,” he said. “I have switched off my phone. So I am not aware of things happening in the newspaper or in the media. To be very honest, I think I personally don’t have any comments on that.”Definitely both teams get to play on the same wicket. Both teams get to play in the same conditions. I think it’s a game of cricket. Sometimes you score 280, sometimes you score 150. You just have to play smarter and score one run more from the opponent. So, I think that’s how I would like to look at this. So, as of now, I don’t have any complaints.”
Afghanistan captain exudes confidence ahead of the team’s first game in the Champions Trophy, against South Africa
ESPNcricinfo staff20-Feb-20254:25
Shahidi hopes cricket somehow goes to Afghanistan ‘soon’
Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi is confident of beating South Africa on their Champions Trophy debut in Karachi on February 21, especially after having defeated them 2-1 in the ODI series in Sharjah last year. It was also Afghanistan’s first ODI series win against a top-five ranked nation.”Between 2019 and now there’s too much difference and just recently we beat them [South Africa] in Sharjah – 2-1 – so we have that confidence with us and we are not under pressure anyway,” Shahidi said at his press conference on Thursday. “Because right now we are focusing what we can do in this tournament and I believe that our team is more ready for this tournament and we are focusing on our own team. There is no pressure on us.”While Afghanistan will be without teenaged mystery spinner AM Ghazanfar, who has been sidelined from the entire tournament with injury, they have enough spin depth in the form of Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mohammad Nabi and Nangeylia Kharote. Afghanistan will also have support from the Karachi crowd.”First of all, about people here – there are a lot of Afghans,” Shahidi said. “They live here in Karachi and in Pakistan and also a lot of Pashtun people, I think, they support us. So yeah, yesterday there was a lot of crowds shouting for us [during training] and it feels good and it give us confidence that we have supporters here and about our performance.”Related
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This will be Afghanistan’s first-ever appearance in the Champions Trophy, but Shahidi made it clear that they are not here to make up the numbers and that their goal is to win the title. Afghanistan can draw confidence from their performances in the recent global tournaments: in the 2024 T20 World Cup, they made the semi-finals while earlier in the 2023 ODI World Cup, they had booked a sixth-place finish and with that a spot in this Champions Trophy.”We are doing very good and, in this tournament, we are here to compete here and our aim is to win the final,” Shahidi said. “We are not here just to participate here in this tournament. We are definitely 100% looking to win this event and at the same time because we played a lot of quality cricket from last two years and it’s a good chance for us because the boys are very experienced and these conditions are also suitable for us. So we have a good chance and let’s start it from tomorrow and hopefully we start with the win and we go with the same momentum throughout the tournament.”Temba Bavuma, the South Africa captain, said his team won’t be underestimating Afghanistan, but having played them in September means South Africa have idea of what to expect.* “Yeah, highly competitive team, Afghanistan. I think they’ve got a lot of experience within their team. Guys who have that international pedigree at least from a skill point of view,” Bavuma said on match eve. “Like you said, we played against them mid to late last year and they were victorious, so they won’t be short of any type of confidence coming into the game tomorrow.”[But] we’ve also had a good look at them – I think probably a similar team that we played against in Sharjah that will be coming again. So, I guess we kind of know what to expect.”Bavuma said the challenge for his bowlers in this tournament would be to keep their discipline on batting-friendly tracks. “I think in terms of the conditions here, we’ve had a nice look at what to expect. Probably batter-friendly wickets and I think quite a nice challenge for the bowlers. Our challenge as a bowling unit is to be one of the more disciplined and precise bowling units. I guess always look for opportunities to take wickets.”From a batting point of view, scoreboard pressure is a big thing. Guys getting in, making sure they go get big so we can challenge for those 330-340-350 type of scores.”Shahidi on playing in Afghanistan: ‘Hopefully that day comes’Afghanistan haven’t had a dedicated home venue and since June 2017, when they were granted Full-Member status, they have played their home internationals in the three major cities of the UAE, in Dehradun, Lucknow and Greater Noida in India (which was also home before they became a Full Member). Shahidi, though, talked up the cricketing facilities and domestic cricket in Afghanistan, hoping to play international cricket in country in the near future.”I have answered this in Pashto but let me say it again because in media I heard a lot from other countries that they [Afghanistan] don’t have facilities, they don’t have stadiums, they don’t have academies. It’s totally wrong,” Shahidi said. “We have good facilities. We have cricket academies. We have High Performance Centre in Kabul and Jalalabad and also, we have stadiums in every zone of Afghanistan. So, we have the facilities to call a team to come to Afghanistan but in our country there were some security issues that’s why other countries are not coming but hopefully soon, as soon as possible, one of the countries will come to Afghanistan and you will see the crowd also.”When we play domestic cricket, it’s fully packed. Even people wait outside the stadium and try to come and watch the domestic game, like more than 50,000, 40,000 or 30,000 people coming for the finals of an event. I know that if any team come to Afghanistan, there will be like thousands of people, fans come and arrive to the stadium because there is a lot of craze for cricket. There are a lot of people who love cricket. So hopefully that day comes and hopefully it comes soon.”